Apparatus for gathering fibers



May 13, 1941. J. F. HYDE ETAL 2,241,405

APPARATUS FOR GATHERING FIBERS Filed Jan. 15, 1939 .4 TTORNEYS.

Patented May 13, 1941 APPARATUS FOR- GATHERING FIBERS James F. Hyde,Corning, N. Y., and Stuart M.

Dockerty, Newark, Ohio, assignors to Owens- Corning FiberglasCorporation, a corporation of Delaware Application January 13,l939,'Seria1 No. 250,836

8 Claims.

This invention relates to the forming of textile materials and moreparticularly to a method and apparatus for collecting textile fibers andforming them into a twisted yarn, roving or covering.

While the present invention is adapted for use with textile fibersgenerally, it relates particularly to the production of twisted rovingsand coatings of artificial silicate fibers of fineness and considerablelength which are adapted for fabrication into textile products.Heretofore, such fibers have been collected as a thin webbing, foldedtogether to form a sliver and wound on tubes. Only subsequently arethese slivers drafted and spun into yarns, threads, and rovings. Such asequence of disconnected operations involves a, considerable amount ofmanual labor which is expensive and often unsatisfactory.

The present invention has for its object a method of collectingartificial silicate fibers as they'are formed and assembling themdirectly into a twisted yarn, roving, or coating of the desiredcharacteristics, and mechanism for performing this method.

This invention includes among its features the steps of forming fineglass fibers by pneumatically attenuating streams of molten glass,collecting these fibers on the inside of a conical collector as a feltedmass, and attenuating and twisting this 'mass of fibers as it passesthrough the collector so that it is formed into a twisted roving oryarn, or wound about a core Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the meltingunit; and

Fig. 3 is an elevation, partially in section of a modified arrangementofthe mechanism shown in Fig. 1.

Referring in somewhat greater detail to the structure shown in the abovedrawing, the fiber forming mechanism is of the general type disclosed inthe co-pending application of Stuart M. Dockerty, Serial Number 209,822,filed May 24, 1938, and includes a resistance heating furnace enclosedin a pressure chamber l and supplied with electric energy throughprotruding terminals l2. Air under pressure is supplied to the chamberH! by pipe l4 and passes around the furnace to a slot IS in the bottomof the chamber in alignment with a series of orifice openings in thebottom of the furnace. Molten glass issuing from these orifices is drawnto fibers by the escaping air. Due to the fiow characteristics of thisstream of air, the fibers issuing from the chamber I!) do not spreadwidely, but retain a rather close grouping for a considerable distancebelow the slot from which they issue.

Located beneath the fiber forming mechanism and in position to interceptthe stream of fibers issuing therefrom is a fiber collecting mechanismadapted to form'the separate fibers into a twisted body such as a yarn,roving, or coating about a core. This mechanism may vary as to detailsof construction, but consists essentially of a conical collector l8formed of fine mesh screen or similaropen material and mounted forrotation in a bearing 20 encircling its large, upper end and supportedby a framework 22. Rotation of the collector may be accomplished by anydesired means, but as shown a pulley 24 is included as a part of themounting structure and is connected by belt 26 with pulley 28 on theshaft of a variable speed motor 30.

Frame 22 likewise supports winding mechanism to take up the formedproduct which may consist of a reel or spool 32, preferably driven byfrictional contact with a drum 34 rotated by variable speed motor 36,and a. guide roll or tion of this wall laterally disposed from its axis.

Such disposition may conveniently be accomplished by positioning thecollector slightly to one side of the center line of the slot l6 asshown in Fig. 1, or by centering the collector and tilting it so thatits axis forms an angle with the vertical axis of the fiber producingmechanism as shown in Fig. 3. Either arrangement results in the majorityof the fibers being deposited on one side of'the conical collector. The,collector is preferably rotated at a rather high speed ranging from2,000'to 10,000 R. P. M., and must be of sufliciently rigid constructionto withstand such speeds preferably without support at its apex or smallend. However, the collector must be made of highly porous material whichwill offer the minimum of resistance to the passage of the fibercarrying air therethrough. A screen material having as much as ofitssurface area given over to openings has been found de sirable, otherwisethe carrying air will rebound from the collector surface and prevent thefibers from being uniformly deposited. Once in contact with the surface,they are held there by centrifugal force and a thin, uniform layer isbuilt up around the inside of the collector due to its rotation. Thislayer is drawn downwardly through the small opening in the apex of thecollector and is drafted and twisted into a yarn or roving.

If it is desired to form a spun coating of fibers about a core such asan electrical conductor, or even another yarn of fibers, a supply of thecore material 40 is placed in a rack 42 on the frame 22 and a strandpassed over a roller 44 whose surface is aligned with the axis of thecollector I8,

through the collector and around aligned roller u 38 to the windingmechanism. Since the collector is rotating rapidly relative to thestrand passing along its axis, the fibers deposited on the collector arespun tightly onto the surface of the strand. Regulation of the speed ofrotation of the collector l8 and the rate of take-up of the windingmechanism with respect to the production of fibers makes it possible toform a fibrous yarn or coating of any weight and twist that may bedesired.

While the invention has been described with respect to a device in whichfibers are produced with a blast of air, it has been found possible tomake use of apparatus employing steam blowers of the type shown in the'Slayter and Thomas United States Patent N0. 2,133,236. When such adevice is employed, it may be found desirable to surround the collectorwith a vacuum chamber maintained at a suitable reduced pressure toremove the considerable amount of steam expelled with the fibers by thisapparatus. However, use of such a vacuum chamber is not desired as itaugments centrifugal force to such an extent as to render removal of thefibers from the interior of the collector somewhat difficult. Suction isnot necessary with the preferred structure here disclosed since thevolume of gas accompanying the fibers and its velocity are both withinsuch limits as to properly position the fibers on the collector withoutthe aid of suction.

While various specific modifications of the present invention have beendescribed, it should be appreciated that these are by way ofillustration and the scope of the invention is to be limited only by theappended claims.

What is claimed is: I

1. In combination, means for forming an unconfined moving column offibers and gas, a hollow perforate collector positioned in the path ofsaid column to receive said column within its body and remove the fiberstherefrom, means for rotating said collector and means for continuouslywithdrawing said fibers from said collector along its axis ofrevolution.

2. In combination, means for forming a moving body of gas and fibers, ahollow perforate collector positioned to receive said body and separatethe fibers therefrom, said collector being so positioned with respect tothe path of said body that the fibers impinge on a portion only of itsinner surface, means for rotating said collector and means forwithdrawing said fibers from said collector along its axis of rotation.

3. In combination, means for forming a moving column of gas and'flbers,a hollow perforate collector positioned to intercept said column andseparate the fibers therefrom, said collector comprising a conical bodyof perforate material and means for rotating it about its longitudinalaxis, said conical body being so positioned with respect to said movingcolumn as to intercept it with a portion only of its inside surface, andmeans for withdrawing said fibers from said collector along its axis ofrotation.

4. In combination, means for forming a moving column of gas and fibers,a hollow conical collector positioned to intercept said column andseparate the fibers therefrom, said collector having an open end ofgreater diameter than said column to receive said column, and being sodisposed with respect to said column that the fibers are intercepted bya portion only of its inner surface said portion being laterally spacedfrom the longitudinal axis of the collector, means for rotating saidcollector about said axis and means for withdrawing fibers from saidcollector along. said axis.

5. In combination, means for forming a descending column of gas andfibers, a hollow conical collector formed of highly perforate materialand having an open, large diameter end of greater diameter than saidcolumn, said collector being so positioned beneath the forming meansthat the column enters said open end and im pinges on a lateral portiononly of said perforate material, means for rotating said collector andmeans for withdrawing fibers therefrom along its axis of rotation.

6. In combination, means for forming a descending column of gas andfibers, a hollow conical collector formed of highly perforate materialpositioned beneath said forming means and in the path of said columnwith its large diameter end upwardly and its axis eccentrically disposedwith respect to said column, said large diameter end being open and ofgreater diameter than said column, means for rotating said collector andmeans for withdrawing fibers from said collector along its axis ofrotation.

7. In combination, means for forming a descending column of gas andfibers, a hollow conlcal collector formed of highly perforate materialpositioned beneath said forming means and in the path of said columnwith its large diameter end upwardly and its axis eccentrically disposedwith respect to said column, said large diameter end being open and ofgreater diameter than said column, means for rotating said collector andmeans for withdrawing fibers from said collector along its axis ofrotation and means for guiding a strand of .material through saidcollector along its axis of rotation.

8. In combination, means for forming a descending column of gas andfibers, a hollow conical collector formed of highly perforate materialpositioned beneath said forming means and in the path of said columnwith its large diameter end upwardly and its axis eccentrically dis- Iposed with respect to said column, said large diameter end being openand of greater diameter than said column, means for rotating saidcollector and means for withdrawing fibers from said collector along itsaxis of rotation and means for guiding a strand of material through saidcollector along its axis of rotation, said guiding means being disposedout of alignment with said column of gas and fibers.

' JAMES F.HYDE.'

STUART M. DOCKERTY.

